The present disclosure relates to information processing apparatuses, mobile terminal devices, and information processing systems and particularly relates to a technique for accepting an instruction relating to processing executable on an information processing apparatus.
Information processing apparatuses, such as image forming apparatuses, are provided with a display section on which an operating image for use in user's operations is displayed. A touch panel is disposed in front of the display section of such an information processing apparatus. A user selects, by a touch gesture on the touch panel, one of operating keys (main operating keys), such as character entry keys, arranged in the operating image for the entry of various instructions to the information processing apparatus.
The operating keys arranged in the operating image include not only the main operating keys, such as character entry keys, but also other operating keys (sub operating keys), such as a shift key and a control key, operable in combination with another operating key. A technique (general technique A) is known in which a group of main operating keys and a group of sub operating keys are arranged in different operating images and, upon acceptance of a slide gesture on the operating image containing the group of main operating keys, the display is switched from the operating image containing the group of main operating keys to the operating image containing the group of sub operating keys. The separation between the group of main operating keys and the group of sub operating keys enables larger display of the main operating keys and sub operating keys, which improves the visibility and operability of the main and sub operating keys. Furthermore, the display section of the information processing apparatus can be reduced in size while ensuring sufficient size of the main and sub operating keys. This reduces the production cost of the information processing apparatus.